We are all Asians now | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

We are all Asians now

Hindustan Times | ByRahul Sharma
Apr 20, 2008 12:13 AM IST

The theme of Mahbubani's book is about an Asia challenging the West’s supremacy in more ways than one and a confused West that’s dragging its feet in accepting that it’s time has come, writes Rahul Sharma.

There is a lot of India in Kishore Mahbubani’s latest book, probably for a good reason. India is way up in Singapore’s top-of-the-pop list. Relations between what some see as a red dot on the southern tip of the Malay peninsula, but is in fact one of the most pragmatic nations in the world, and New Delhi have boomed in the past decade. India is not a basketcase as it was made out to be in the late 1980s. In the new century, it is now a paragon of democratic practices despite its chaotic politics, and an emerging global economic power that, along with China, will make the big Asian dream of taking on the West come true.

HT Image
HT Image

That indeed is the theme of Mahbubani's book — an Asia that is challenging the West’s supremacy in more ways than one and a confused West that’s dragging its feet in accepting that it’s time has come. Few in the West have “grasped the full implications of the two most salient features of our historical epoch” — first, that the West's domination of world history has ended and second, there will be an “enormous renaissance” of Asian societies.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Very few Asian thinkers have closely studied and highlighted the changing rules of engagement between the West and the rest as Mahbubani. He has not only dwelled deep into the insecurities of the West and its ills, but also appreciated the Western practices that he says have played a big role in changing Asia’s pace of political and economic growth.

According to the former diplomat, Asian societies are not rising now because they have rediscovered the civilisational strengths that gave them a solid edge over the rest of the world not so long ago. It is because Asian nations have willfully accepted the pillars of “Western wisdom that underpinned Western progress” and allowed it to outperform Asia in the past two centuries.

He peppers his argument with several Indian examples, starting with Tamil Nadu that has produced internationally renowned scientists, mathematicians and top corporate bosses. His argument: Asian minds are exploding with creativity and if one Indian state could produce so many gifted individuals despite low per capita incomes, imagine the impact that India will have on the world as it modernises. Some would say it’s simplistic, but the truth is that something like what Mahbubani talks of in his book is indeed happening.

The adoption of free market policies by Asian countries has opened opportunities that did not exist until about two decades ago. Many Asian countries also began encouraging meritocracy, which unlocked the minds and let ideas flow freely. Rule of law, a culture of peace after years of colonisation and wars and a renewed focus on education — steps that the West took to achieve global domination — helped immensely in creating societies that could challenge those who built those pillars.

However, as Mahbubani points out, it isn’t easy for the West to accept Asia’s rise. For so long has the West dominated the world — militarily, politically and economically — that it can’t quickly learn to share power. It has to choose between embracing Asia’s march to modernity and become a partner or feel threatened and retreat behind a protectionist wall.

The United States, that leads the West, can’t afford to lose its pragmatism as we prepare to witness some of the biggest changes in human history, the author says. “Western minds can make one simple change to become more optimistic: they need to drop all the ideological baggage they accumulated in the several eras of Western triumphalism, and they much stop believing that they can remake the world in their own image. The world can no longer be Westernised.” Pragmatic words from a citizen of a pragmatic nation.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On